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Gallery

The world-famous Great Barrier Reef is the planet’s largest living structure. Stretching 2,600 kilometres in the Coral Sea and with more than 900 islands, it can be seen from space

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Adrian Brown

Home to the world’s largest coral reef

The world-famous Great Barrier Reef is the planet’s largest living structure. Stretching 2,600 kilometres in the Coral Sea and with more than 900 islands, it can be seen from space

Home to pink lakes

Western Australia is home to a number of pink lakes, most famously Lake Hillier. No one knows exactly why the lake is a bubble-gum hue although scientists speculate that this is largely due to salt-loving algae in the water

Home to pink lakes

Western Australia is home to a number of pink lakes, most famously Lake Hillier. No one knows exactly why the lake is a bubble-gum hue although scientists speculate that this is largely due to salt-loving algae in the water

The sixth largest country in the world

Australia has a land area of 7.6 million square kilometres and at its widest it is nearly 4,000 kilometres across

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Greg Snell

The sixth largest country in the world

Australia has a land area of 7.6 million square kilometres and at its widest it is nearly 4,000 kilometres across

Seventeen World Heritage sites

Australia has 17 World Heritage sites - more than any other country. These include the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Sydney Opera House and Kakadu National Park

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Masaru Kitano snaK Productions

Seventeen World Heritage sites

Australia has 17 World Heritage sites - more than any other country. These include the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Sydney Opera House and Kakadu National Park

Snowy mountains

Australia is often regarded as an arid and flat country, yet the Australian Alps on its eastern side receive more snow than Switzerland and attract many skiers and snowboarders in winter

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Oliver Strewe

Snowy mountains

Australia is often regarded as an arid and flat country, yet the Australian Alps on its eastern side receive more snow than Switzerland and attract many skiers and snowboarders in winter

Canberra not Sydney

Canberra was selected as the location of the nation’s capital in 1908 in a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne

Photograph: Chris Holly

Canberra not Sydney

Canberra was selected as the location of the nation’s capital in 1908 in a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne

Uluru

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is naturally grey but the iron content of the rock is rusting resulting in the striking shade of red. A sacred site to Aborigines, the rock is estimated to be around 600 million years old

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Jeff Drewitz

Uluru

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is naturally grey but the iron content of the rock is rusting resulting in the striking shade of red. A sacred site to Aborigines, the rock is estimated to be around 600 million years old

More than 10,000 beaches

If you were to visit one new beach in Australia every day, it would take more than 27 years to see them all

Photograph: Tourism Australia/Andrew Wallace

More than 10,000 beaches

If you were to visit one new beach in Australia every day, it would take more than 27 years to see them all

The world’s third largest ocean territory

Australia is surrounded by three oceans that are famously inhabited by thousands of colourful species, including the blue-ringed octopus and the deadly box jellyfish

The world’s third largest ocean territory

Australia is surrounded by three oceans that are famously inhabited by thousands of colourful species, including the blue-ringed octopus and the deadly box jellyfish

Home to the world’s longest fence

Stretching from Queensland to the Great Australian Bight in South Australia, the Dingo Fence was installed to keep dingos and other pests out of the country’s main grazing area for sheep. It measures 5, 530 kilometres, which is twice as much as the Great Wall of China

Photograph: Greg Snell

Home to the world’s longest fence

Stretching from Queensland to the Great Australian Bight in South Australia, the Dingo Fence was installed to keep dingos and other pests out of the country’s main grazing area for sheep. It measures 5, 530 kilometres, which is twice as much as the Great Wall of China

Think of Australia and you automatically envisage of some of the world’s most stunning geological features. Home to the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock and some of the best beaches in the world, Australia is a wonderfully varied and popular destination. It’s a country where ancient landscapes sit in harmony with contemporary cities, such as Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. Here we look at the top 10 facts you may not know about Australia.